Never Too Old for Love
by FreekyDisaster18
Summary: Burke wants to prove to Karen that they're not too old to be cute or romantic in this new relationship but she's not too sure that he can do it.
1. Never too Old for Love

"I take offence to that statement, love!" Burke complained from his position on the couch, a glass of wine in one hand and a plate with the remnants of his Chinese that he had just shared with her in another. Leaning forward, he placed the plate on a coffee table before looking over to the archway that separated the kitchen from the living area in her small apartment. She was looking around the kitchen for another bottle of wine, her lovely auburn hair falling around her shoulders while her petite figure was hidden by one of his large tee shirts that fell just above her knees.

"What?" She said before making an "a-ha" sound to indicate that she had located the second bottle of wine that she knew she had hidden away somewhere for a rainy day. Walking towards him, she smiled. "Are you saying that we're not too old to still be romantic and cute in this relationship?"

Sitting down next to him on the couch, she tucked her feet beneath her and settled most of her weight against his side as she smiled down at him. This entire conversation had started because Burke had asked if this was it for their romantic life. Were they really that old that they were comfortable enough to spend their Friday nights together curled up in scruffs with a glass of wine and a take away that had tickled their fancy at the time of choosing? Did romance really die when you hit a certain age? She was adamant that it was whereas he did not want to believe that he had missed his chance at properly wooing the woman; the woman of his dreams.

He looked at her, his hand reaching out to stroke up the length of his arm as he smiled. "Definitely! Age is just a bloody number and I sure as hell am not going to let the numbers define the way I feel about you or how I act?"

Laughing, she shook her head at him as she reached out and took hold of his hand so that she could press a kiss to the inset of his wrist. "Matt, I appreciate that. I really do. You realise that we won't be able to be like Robbie and Jackie, don't you?" With her position, their relationship was on the down low. They had obviously told the team because they had worked it out between them all – working with detectives, psychiatrists and a medical examiner with an interest in psychology was the worst at times at like this – but they had decreed that no one else was important enough to know yet. So being all cuddly and close at work was out of the question and the pair of them knew that.

"Jesus Karen, no one could be like Jackie and Robbie! The bloody love they send to each other with a glance is nauseating enough without us two piling it on at the office. Poor Stuart will be banging his head against the wall, secretly downing whiskey from a bottle in the bottom drawer of his desk while sneaking out to see McIntyre more than he does now!" He laughed as laced his fingers through hers and shook his head. "No, I don't want that. I just want the chance to now prove to you that we can be romantic." He leant in and pressed a teasing kiss against her lips, "even if we are old." He whispered against her lips.

* * *

**AUTHORS NOTE: This has come about because Lee asked me to write her a little something because I believe she's revising (I might be wrong but whose going to grumble when it comes to getting me writing?) so I decided to write her a little something with her favourite pairing. It'll be a little collection of fluffy drabbles inspired off something I saw on tumblr. **


	2. Find Reasons to Just Cuddle

**[Find Reasons to Just Cuddle]**

* * *

The first time it happened it came completely out of nowhere. She was just standing in the living room, mobile phone to one ear as she spoke to one of her detectives with a case file in her hands as she tried to not bark at him for his stupidity when a pair of arms had wrapped around her middle. Slowly, they had pulled her back against his broad chest into a soothing hug and she felt all the tension seep out of her body. He did not even try to kiss her. He just held her, his cheek pressed against hers as she quietly told the other detective to be in her desk of 0800 – sharp. When she hung up the phone, the warmth of his arms disappeared as he walked away.

The second time she had been leaning against the kitchen sink, her arms crossed over her chest as she fixed her signature glare at him. He had said something stupid again. Something that made her wish that she could punish him at work even though his fault was in their personal relationship. He was trying to apologise, chuckling as he saw the mad look locked on her beautiful face. Walking towards, he held his hands up in a surrender pose before smiling at her. "Have I ever told you how much I love it when you get angry at me?" He whispered in a teasing tone as his hands slipped around her waist, drawing her away from the sink and into his arms. She tried to remain frigid, composed but the minute his warmth wrapped around her she could not help but relax and wrap her arms around his shoulders, her head nestling into his neck where she pressed a small kiss. She was still mad she told herself.

From then on, Burke would find excuses to pull the woman into his arms for a non-sexual cuddle. It could be just before they went to bed after an extremely stressful night where sex was the last thing on their mind or when he was about to head home to his own apartment because there were some things he needed to sort out. Every time he did it, she wished that it would just be them in that embrace for a lifetime. A giddiness would burn up her insides as she held him close to her, breathing in the manly scent that was purely him and swaying to the beat of their hearts. They were simple cuddles that showed them the way the other felt. Cuddles that he always initiated.

It was not long until she realised what they really were – romantic. When the realisation hit her, she had smiled in her office all day and shook her head. Despite their conversation weeks ago, she thought Burke had caved and decided that they were too old to be romantic. So she decided that this time she would initiate.

When he stepped into her office, the cocky smile falling off his face slightly as he noticed all the blinds shut. "Is everything..."

"Shut the door."

Slowly, he shut the door behind him before grunting as a full weight landed on top of him in a bear hug. "Woman, are you okay?"

She laughed his favourite sound into his ear and loosened the grip before pressing a small kiss to the corner of his mouth. "I love you and your cuddles, Burke?"

* * *

**Authors Note: I have written this in the record time of like ten minutes. I applaud myself. If you notice any errors in this tiny, pointless drabble then let me know.**


	3. Find an Excuse to Watch Old Films

**[Find an Excuse to Watch an Old Film]**

* * *

It had been another one of those weeks – another child washed up dead on the banks of the river Clyde, endless paedophiles and perverts walking through their interrogation rooms describing how the MO of the crime did not fit their jerking off material before finally she had became a recluse in her office. The whiskey glass resting on her desk had been sat untouched for the last three hours, her face buried in her hands as she just tried to breathe through it. It had been bad when she was a WPC but now it seemed like for every homicide you got involving an adult, there were six more involving a child. It was all too much really.

There was a slight tap on her door and she knew who it was instinctively, her heart skipped a beat and a smile chipped itself onto her tired expression. "Come in," she beckoned lightly.

"We've got him, Karen." Burke's soft voice said the minute he walked through the door, the same grim expression highlighting the features on his face that she had grown to love. "He's sweating in a cell downstairs waiting for transport." He promised before coming round the desk and cupping her face with his hands, his lips brushing a small kiss to the top of her head. "It's all over."

"For this time," she corrected him, dashing through his optimism and feeling like a bitch for doing so. "I'm sorry, Burke. I'm just so tired of all of this and at this precise moment I just want to be alone."

"Well how about being alone with me?"

She found herself laughing, her head shaking slightly. "Burke love, don't you think that defeats the purpose of being alone."

"Nope. We'll sit in a dark room, you cuddled into my side and we'll watch an old film in complete silence. You can be alone with your thoughts, I can be alone with mine and we'll have the company of the greatest actors ever known to man." Despite her earlier rotten mood, a sudden happiness started to fill up inside of her as she nodded her head in agreement. "I do say that the only time we'll argue is deciding what film to watch." She laughed, remembering the performance they always had when it came to picking a film.

"Casablanca?"

"We saw that last time."

"Okay. How about The Sound of Music?"

"Never in a million years, sunshine."

"The Maltese Falcon?"

"How about something not crime related?"

She nodded her head in agreement with that one before smiling. "How about a John Wayne classic?" A smile crept on his face too as together they said, "True Grit," and with that, an old film had been selected and plans had been set in motion. It was also another example of happy she secretly was that Burke had decided to 'romance' her.


	4. Find an Excuse to Wear Matching Outfits

**[Find an Excuse to Wear Matching Outfits]**

* * *

It was Ronan's thirteenth birthday and her Fathers had decided that it would be celebrated by a formal dinner with family only followed by a swanky party at the club for all her friends from the private school. No alcohol obviously but an excuse for them all to dance and socialise outside of school.

Unfortunately for Burke, that meant that he needed to find a suit to wear that did not look like it had been in his wardrobe since the end of the last millennium or older. Ewan had never directly teased Burke for his endless clothes in the same colours, styles and patterns as each other but had always offered to take him shopping if it was an option he would consider. Burke would rather have filled in paperwork while listening to opera than go shopping but nevertheless here he was standing in a shopping centre with Karen.

This would be Karen's first event as part of the extended family and she was just as nervous as Burke as she picked through endless dresses, finding faults in the colour, length, style or anything she could think of. It warmed Burke's heart seeing her act so frantic so he took her into his arms and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Stop worrying."

"Burke, this is your family and they've let me in. As much as I find it hard knowing that Ewan McIntyre is connected to most of our cold cases I still find myself wanting to be liked by him. He's a big part of your teams world now and..."

"Stop worrying!" He repeated cutting her tirade of worries off as he shook his head, amused at her outburst. "They already admire you and that's all that counts, Karen. Now let's find you a..." And that's when he saw it. The most stunning dress in a hunter green. It was floor length with an empress line that would make her look stunning but more importantly he had a tie in the exact shade. "There it is."

He picked it up and showed her the dress, relieved when he saw the twinkle in her eyes before moving towards the till. "But don't you think we'll be trying too hard?" She fretted after he explained about his tie and he shook his head, starting to feel that maybe he had put too much pressure on her shoulders. Next time he was going to simply tell her to put on a dress and he would pick her up so that it would be a surprise.

"I couldn't care less. I want the world to know we're an item, Kay, and that starts with my family. Small steps, Karen. Tomorrow a dress and tie in the same colour. In a couple of years, matching..." But the sentence died in his throat as he caught himself letting go his true intentions towards the woman.

She, however, just smiled as she curled into his side as they stood in line."I love you," she whispered pressing a kiss to his cheek just as they were shouted to go to the next till, their brief moment interrupted but not forgotten.

* * *

**AUTHORS NOTE:** Lee was forced on a little trip today with her parents that she did not want to go on so this is a little something to cheer her up :)


	5. Kiss in the Rain

**[Kiss in the Rain]**

* * *

It had been a great idea to go for a walk when the sun had been taunting them through the small window in Burke's office at the end of that particular summer evening. He had felt the heat on the back of his neck, could almost hear the happy laughter of children and the smell of freshly mowed grass – you had to give the council something, that grass was always cut! - while he was cooped in his little office that looked more and more like a prison cell with each ticking minute. It had not taken him long to convince Karen to sack it in for the day and accompany him on a walk – a business walk if any of their officers were to ask.

Even in the bulky uniform, her hair up in a tight bun and her face tired from the days work Burke could not believe how beautiful his partner was at that particular moment. She was like an oil painting with the warm halo of the sun around her. Unfortunately though, Mother Nature decided to remind them that they were in Scotland and not in Spain by allowing the heavens to open. Their walk was ruined and Burke opened his mouth to voice that maybe they should head back but something stopped him.

There could have been many reasons.

Firstly, there was an almost free smile on her face as she looked up at the sky and allowed the raindrops to trace every curve of the face that he adored. It was the first natural smile he had seen her wear in a long time. He usually had to force one out of her after a long day at work because of all the horror they saw.

Secondly, she had slowly started to spin in the rain, her arms out and her palms flat like people do when they're checking to see if it is spitting. Burke half expected her to break into a rendition of Gene Kelly's 'Singing in the Rain' because she really did look like she was feeling happy again.

But honestly he knew it was the third thing that stopped him. It was the moment when she opened her eyes and looked at him, her green eyes glittering with a look of pure love that caused his heart to jolt in his chest before she walked over to him and kissed him lightly. He could taste the bitterness of the salt water, could feel how cold she was pressed up against him but all he could focus on was the heat of her lips against his as the kiss became a little bit more hotter than they were used to sharing in public. Eventually when they were breathless, she pressed her wet cold hand against his cheek and stepped back, dazed. "I love the rain," she whispered when she was a breath away from him and he just smiled.

"Yeah," he whispered, "I think I got that." She just stared at him for a second before bursting out laughing, his arm moving round to pull her closer again as he pressed a kiss to her neck and mused about how he may never truly know this woman but he was going to have fun finding out more.

* * *

**Authors Note: So I didn't pay my bill (for three months running but it's well their fault not mine) so I'm without internet until I pay it... But here's a little something to tide you all over.**


End file.
